In Plain Sight
by topsell
Summary: In preparation for Halloween, Willow puts a spell on the Scoobies with adverse effects. When the holiday passes w/out incident, Xander and Spike wake up as each other! Things get more complicated when the LA Gang and Initiative get involved. Updated WIP
1. Prologue

**Hiding in Plain Sight**  
**Act One:** Prologue (Part 0/6)

**Summary**: In preparation for Halloween, Willow puts a spell on the Scoobies that has some adverse effects. When the holiday passes without incident, Xander and Spike wake up as each other! Things get a little more complicated with Xander's Family, the LA Gang and Initiative become involved... (Buffy mid S5 , Angel S2 no direct timeline)

**Genre List**: Initiative, Hurt/Comfort, Body Swapping, Under a Spell, Halloween

**Rating/Warnings**: T+ to M for Slash, Bloodplay, Torture!Xander, Adult Themes, Language, Angst

**Pairing**: Unless you've been living under a rock, you should know it's Spander, plus some surprising Spike & Angel friendship

**DISCLAIMER**: No one owns anything. The government just wants them to think that they do...In any regard, I don't own and am making no profit off of this fanfiction, the character, plot or setting that this story is centred around.

**Distribution**: Feel Free to share or archive anywhere. Remember to give credit where credit is deserved.

**Prologue**

_August 8th, 2000_

Spike Hated Xander. He hated that the slayers little pet cowered at every little bump in the night, he hated how much the boy pined over Buffy and that no matter how much the girl ignored him, brushing him off as just another one of the gang, Xander kept begging at her heels. He hated the endless line of jobs that the boy could never seem to keep, the fact that even though Xander had grades higher than the slayer, he was working for minimal wage while Buffy went to college -- all because her Mother had taken up the tab. Spike hated the boys fashion sense: shirts so close to florescent he wondered if Xander were in fact completely color blind. And yet, tied to that damn chair in the boys parents basement, Spike couldn't seem to leave Xander alone.

The binds holding him to the thread bound chair were weak at best. He might not have been able to snap them in earlier days, still half-starved from his time at the Initiative, but demons blood was nearly as good as mortals, and since he had found out the chip in his brain had no aversion to punching the face in of anyone of the less than human variety, Spike was well fed. Yet, he stayed in this hovel still, letting the boy tie him down every night, letting the insults flow freely between the two.

Truth be told, that might be why he stayed so long. Xander might not be a lot of things, but he was one for good banter. He and Spike would spend hours just throwing the insults back and forth as if a game. Both had a lot of pent up ammo, and the little display was good release. Gods knew Xander would never show how unhappy he was to any of his precious Scoobies. He didn't want the group to know that he just might be dealing with some heavier shit than any of them.

Huffing, Spike thought of the pair upstairs that fell under the false pretense of parents. It had been over one-hundred years, but even he remembered his Mother, and that sorry set didn't come close to how family was supposed to treat another. A loud crash alerted him to the fact that Xanders father had returned from work in a post drunken-stupor. A woman screamed, her own voice slurred heavily, but still piercing in intensity. They bickered a while -- not at all like the sport he and Xander played with another, but harsh yelling, laced with rage and self-loathing. Their repore lasted a good half-hour before the two either got bored of one another or realized they had forgotten a valued member of the Harris Clan. Someone pounded heavily on the basement door, and from the way sound reverberated like off-beat percussion, Spike could only assume it was the boys father.

"Shit," he mouthed, and searched the cramped quarters for Xander. Upon returning very late from his job at Meat Palace, the boy had walked straight from the door to the bathroom, turning on the shower and standing beneath the spray for nearly forty minutes (not that it was going to get rid of the stench of grease), long after the water had run cold.

Spikes eyes searched frantically for Xander, focusing on the bathroom door as though staring long enough would force it open. Nothing happened, and Mr. Harris only pounded harder, now accompanying the beat with his own alcohol-laced baritone. A woman shrieking in the background made for a nice little ditty.

Snapping his binds quickly, Spike went straight to the bathroom and didn't bother knocking. He pushed in the door, giving just enough pressure to break the lock but still keep the door itself hinged. Hot steam assaulted his entrance, and Spike wondered whether Xander even knew his parents had been fighting so loudly upstairs. When Spike drew back the shower curtain, there was no doubt the boy had.

Knees drawn up to his chest, Xander sat with his head cradled in hands on the bottom of the tub. Lank locks hung heavily over the boys face, but even Spike could see the dark bruises beginning to show. Xanders face was patchy with black and blue, his lip split and a particularly vicious bruise over his left eye. The lid was nearly swollen shut, but Spike could still see how red (they) were from crying. Xander tried to turn and cough discreetly, but something gave at that movement and he was immediately upon the tubs bottom, coughing so hard Spike could smell the blood. It was then he noticed the marks on Xanders back. Vivid scratched marred his shoulders and arms. Eyes trailing further, Spike caught glimpses of even darker wounds upon the boys thighs. Those bruises were the largest and darkest and the size of someone's hands.

Shuttering, Xander tried to pull himself up, but his hand slipped on the wetness and he tumbled back into a heap on the floor. A heavy breath was draw at that, and somehow the floodgates broke open. Xander didn't seem to care who was watching anymore, and lay sobbing openly.

Just about to make a move, Spike heard a loud bellow from above and remembered the drunken father. The man hadn't given up yet, but it sounded like the intensity of his pounding was lessening. After living with the Scoobie for nearly two months, Spike could tell the beer-insuced coma was coming on fast. When the mans persistence finally tapered down, Spike found himself the loudest sound in the basement -- eyes golden with rage, a growl emitted from deep in his throat. Xander's father reminded him too much of Angelus in the early days of his turning.

Quieting himself, he could hear something else. Xander sobbed still, curled into a fetal position on the tubs floor, arms drawn so tightly around his knees Spike swore he could see the white of bone up to the boys shoulders. He must have realized that the vampire was watching him, but still cried naked in the shower. This was really too much like Williams experience with Angelus...and Spike nearly felt his own tears well up and threaten to spill. Sire had beaten him into submission, and then beaten the bloodlust into him as well. The bruising on Xanders thighs hinted at something else the two of them shared

Spike turned off the water off. Laying on the floor, Xander began to immediately shiver as though a blanket had been torn off his form. An unsteady breath slipped free, but Xander tried to catch it and draw further into himself. He curled up, trying to look as small as possible.

"You're find now; noone's going to hurt you," Spike cooed, as he would when Drucilla had driven herself into a state.

Shrugging off his duster, Spike reached down for the boy and placed his hand gingerly on Xanders shoulder. The boy shivered more wildly, and a stilted breath came out shivering with it. "You're alright now, but we need to get you patched up right quick," He tried, tracing his hand slowly across the boys shoulder, putting more pressure in his touch but careful still of the wounds. He needed Xander to let him help, and didn't want the boy to get himself completely riled when picked up from the tub. "Let's get you out of the bathroom and warmed on up,"

While Xander didn't lessen his tears, he let Spike lift him from the tub and carry him back to the bed. Spike dried him off, cleaned his wounds and covered him with the worn comforter he had used since age ten. Even after he was warm and the pain had begun to subside a bit, Xander couldn't keep the tears from falling. He cried into his pillow and -- as the vampire sat rubbing small circled about the small of his back -- into Spikes leg as well. The vampire seemed to understand, though he didn't say a word.

When Xander woke in the morning, Spike was still there, holding his hand and absently running his fingers through dark locks. Noticing Xander was awake, Spike stood and silently made his way back over to the orange armchair. Plopping down, he closed his eyes and went to sleep.**  
**


	2. Chapter One

**Hiding in Plain Sight **  
Act One: Dark Changes (Part 1/6)

**Summary**: In preparation for Halloween, Willow puts a spell on the Scoobies that has some adverse effects. When the holiday passes without incident, Xander and Spike wake up as each other! Things get a little more complicated with Xander's Family, the LA Gang and Initiative become involved... (Buffy S4 after TITLE, Angel S1 no direct timeline)

**Genre List**: Initiative, Hurt/Comfort, Body Swapping, Under a Spell, Halloween, Vamp!Xander (later chapters)

**Rating/Warnings**: T+ to M for Slash, Bloodplay, Torture!Xander, Adult Themes, Language, Angst

**Pairing**: Unless you've been living under a rock, you should know it's Spander, plus some surprising Spike & Angel friendship

**DISCLAIMER**: No one owns anything. The government just wants them to think that they do...In any regard, I don't own and am making no profit off of this fanfiction, the character, plot or setting that this story is centred around.

**Distribution**: Feel Free to share or archive anywhere. Remember to give credit where credit is deserved.

**Part One**

_October, 30st 2000_

They didn't talk about that night. They never mentioned it, and to some degree, it was great relief to not have to speak about what either had seen. Yet, Xander wasn't sure whether he wanted to even think about it. Shortly after the incident -- and thanks to a finally steady job and lack of any type of spending -- Xander moved from his basement dwelling. Both of them knew Spike had slipped quite a bit of cash to the boy in hopes of getting him out faster, but that was never spoken of either. The apartment he rented was small at best, but remained a great step up from where he had been living before. While he was fairly sure that the landlord -- and more than a few of the residents -- was of the demoney variety, Xander just didn't pry and neither did they.

"Come on blood-breath, we're going to be late if you don't get your lily pale ass out of the bathroom! I need to brush my teeth and you've been hogging it for almost an hour!" he yelled from across the apartment. Spike didn't exactly live with him, but the vampire seemed to have taken up near permanent residence on Xander's couch since a rather unfortunate incident involving his crypt, a loan shark and a half dozen grenades. Neither got along very well, but the arguing was what kept them close.

Spike was different than Angel had been. Xander hated the older vampire not only for being the evil dead, but for treating him like a child, writing off anything he said or did or thought as absolutely worthless. Add in Angel's dating of Buffy and just the thought of tall dark and broody made Xander's blood boil! Spike was different. Sure he wasn't human and that didn't write well in Xander's book, but whenever Spike and he fought there was at least some dignity to it. Spike might call him every name out there, but Xander did exactly the same thing! Whenever he had tried that with Deadboy, he was met with a menacing growl.

"Spike!" Xander pounded on the door now, "You don't even have a reflection! Do whatever you're doing somewhere else that's not my bathroom!"

He heard a snicker from behind the door and the lock clicked. Before Xander could back away from where he had stood pounding, Spike was nose-to-nose with him. The vampire laughed again, and Xander suddenly realized the state Spike was in. Jeans pooled around his ankles, shirt drawn half in a crumpled, Spike sported an impressive erection that was nearly pressed up against Xander's thigh. The salty scent of lust was heavy now in the air, and it took the boy a second to stumble backwards.

Holding a hand over his eyes, blushing crimson, the sound of Spike laughing made his heart race and blood boil. "What the hell!" he sputtered, not sure whether to take his hand away and just leave or chastise the vampire further.

"Said to finish what I was doing out of the bathroom. Figure you won't mind if I wrap this up here." Spike snickered, stepping jauntily past Xander and dropping onto the couch. When Xander turned, Spike was sprawled over the sofa, legs spread, grasping himself firmly. His eyes were shut, and hand was beginning to stroke. Xander couldn't look away: the vampire had such pale skin, like porcaline, and without those rediculous clothes to cover him so completely, his small frame was quite visible. Spike was small and lean with bones that could only be described as fine, angular like a birds. Still, he was well toned almost compact with muscles knotted benath white-white skin, moving and shifting slowly as the vampire did. Jostled slightly, Spikes hair had fallen from its naturally slick-backed state and fell in loose curls all over his head, pale and soft and like an angels. But, Xander could be absolutely certain that he was not a natural blond (not that it had been in question) looking at the man now.

Spike moaned, beginning to stroke harder. Xander coughed and turned to the bathroom, slamming the door as hard as he could. Hopefully, vampire-stamina wasn't all it was pumped up to be. Moving to the mirror, ready to brush his teeth, Xander nearly groaned himself. He could feel the swelling in him, and wanted to hit himself for getting so excited over the stupid vampire! Xander flicked the fans switch and plopped down onto the closed toilet seat. Unzipping his pants, he realized Spike had been in the same position doing the same thing just moments before. The thought made the blood flow south faster.

***

They walked to the Magic Box, Xander keeping his eyes turned down. He didn't want to say anything to the vampire and could almost feel the evil smirk focused his direction. When he did dare to look up at Spike, Xander was almost disappointed to see the vampire focused on the darkness, staring into the half-light of twilight as though he were looking for someone.

"Expecting someone, oh fangless wonder?" Xander quips, an edge to his voice. Spike looked too intently into the night.

As if broken off from a trance, Spike turns back to the boy, a grin slipping over his features until that's all that's there. "Nah, just remembering the good times I was having at your place." Spike spun around and began walking briskly towards the magic shop, "Maybe we should do it again sometime, Donut Boy."

"Fuck You, Spike." Xander growled and stalked off after the vampire, vision red, instantly regretting his choice of curse words. Spike cackled, but didn't say anything. When he finally eased his glare, Xander noticed how the streetlights bathed the road, creating pools of gold to illuminate the twilight. As Spike darted forward, he was caught in these pools as though they were water surrounding his figure. Spikes skin shone oddly in the light, as if it were no so much pale as luminescent. The vampire seemed to glow in the darkness.

Xander caught himself and yelled down the street, towards Spike, "Peroxide-Head, your hair's so bright you look like you're glowing!"

The vampire scoffed and muttered something about Xander's own choice in shirts and their effect in the half-light, but he was already too far away and speaking too quietly. Xander shrugged and hiked his shoulders up higher as if protecting his neck. He made sure to keep a good few yards between himself and the vampire, feeling the rage still lingering in the back of his mind along with some other, more repressed feelings.

The Magic Box looked abandoned from the street, and if it weren't for Giles showy convertible sitting out by the curb, Xander would have thought he missed the little arrangement completely. That and the half-light which seeped beneath the front door didn't exactly look like it came from your garden variety 40 watt bulb.

Spike was waiting by the front of the door, looking back as if he were waiting for Xander to catch up -- not that in any screwed up reality he cared if the boy made it to the shop in one piece. Catching Xander staring, Spike leered back at the boy, a coy expression on his face. Xander didn't wait for the vampire to say anything and pushed past him into the Magic Shop.

There was a bright light, like the flash of a camera all around.

Xander felt as though that light were drawing the darkness from his mind along with everything else...and was suddenly very light headed.

He fell to the ground -- dropped as if in slow motion -- with the brightness still vivid in his mind. Behind him, Xander heard Spike do the same.

From a distance, as if very far away, he heard the girls chattering, calling to him. But the light held him still and it was as though he didn't even want to slip away from its presence. It was comfortable in that strange light.

Then, as if by force, Xander felt himself lifted up. He felt himself pulled away from the light and was suddenly looking down on himself. He could see Willow scurry around the shop grabbing for spell components and preparing them quickly or something of the sort. He wondered where Giles was, but that thought was quickly driven out when he saw the librarian sitting against the front counter, eying the situation warily.

Xander watched this all as if in a rather intense out-of-body experience, feeling very much like a ghost as he floated above the entire scene invisibly.

Willow was suddenly chanting something else, standing beside his body and...Spikes. They both lay limp on the shop floor as if puppets who had suddenly been dropped. Xander wondered if Spike was too floating around in this half-light of the Magic Shops ceiling, looking down on the situation right beside him, but that thought never finished itself. Willow began chanting louder and the circle she had drawn around both the limp bodies began to glow slightly. The candles marking five points on the outside of the circle flushed with light as if fed more fuel and that light seemed to burst up to where Xander's essence had settled near the top of the shop.

He was blinded, felt that light return with a white-hot intensity and then it was pulling at the edges of him like a whirlwind. On instinct, Xander pulled away from the force. It felt as though his edges were being torn to tatters, as if he was being dragged away.

'Willow must be putting him back in his body,' Xander thought, feeling stupider than usual.

Letting his resistance drop, Xander felt his essence pulled at. He was whirled around the room, blinded by the light, moving in a spiral towards the bodies below like water rushing down the drain. As though a sudden flash -- another camera gone off -- Xander was there physically again, looking up at the ceiling with startling clarity. Everything was so much sharper...from when he wasn't in his body, or had it ever been this clear. The room looked absolutely (sharp), as though everything was more intense, more vivid than it had ever been before. Xander just lay there a long moment, staring at the outline of the rafters, memorizing the grain of the wood as if there was nothing else in the whole world.

"Xander! Oh god, Xander please wake up!"

Willows voice tore him away from his facination with the ceiling. Pulling himself into a sitting position, he held his head. The strange light seemed to have knocked something out of him, and he felt light headed. It was as though he was floating in his own skull.

"Xander," he heard again, this time it was Buffy's voice laced with worry, "Come on Xander, you're going to be alright. Please get up."

Xander groaned and closed his eyes, not even looking over at the girls.

"The Xan-Man is up and ready for action, so no more worrying for my girls." he said and stopped. His voice sounded strange, not quite right. He coughed, trying to clear his throat.

When he opened his eyes, Buffy was right in front of him, distain washing over he face. He looked up at her in confusion and opened his mouth to assure her that he was okay. Before he could say anything, the slayer sent a sharp rappor his direction.

"I don't give a shit what you think, Spike, and we're not and will never be 'your girls'." she nearly spat the words, "The only reason we even keep you around is because with that chip in your head you're as helpless as a puppy and for some reason you've decided to help us out by killing demons."

Xander gaped, staring at Buffy with a blank expression, "Yeah, I know why we've been keeping the fangless wonder around -- or don't know, since nobody seems to have a clue -- but why--"

He stopped, words caught in his throat. Reaching up to his throat, Xander felt over it as if there was something caught in it. He felt nothing but cold cold skin, no warmth in it at all. Holding out a hand, he was met with the image of fine-boned fingers tipped with chipped, black paint. Looking quickly around the room, he froze.

Willow was crouched over a fallen figure-- a fallen him -- looking worried. Xander broke free of the image, of the image of himself laying ten feet away on the floor of the Magic Shop and looked down. Black shit and jeans clading a very thin frame, and pooled all around him on the floor was worn leather. Xander took both hands, brought them to his face and pressed palms against his eyes as if that would make it all go away.

"Shit!" (last line really needs to be changed, but I can't figure out what to)

------

Xander sat on the steps, barely having moved from where he had fallen. Only when Giles had gently ushered him out of the shops enterence did he move, and only to where he was guided. Every so often Xander would reach up to touch his face, feeling the unnaturally cold skin as if the next time he would reach this would all be just a dream. He reached to pinch himself, hard, once, but was only left with a painful pinch -- he wasn't about to wake up from this.

Willow looked as though she was being chased, and scurried about the magic box, babbling worridly all the while. She seemed to be searching for some book or another -- Xander wasn't really paying attention -- but with no avail.

"Calm down, Willow." Giles finally commanded, standing in the centre of the shop. Willow finally stopped, looking towards Xander with a worried expression.

"I'm so sorry-- I was just setting up for the spell to bind us to our bodies. You know, after that whole mess with the Halloween costumes a couple years back and then that whole deal again last year, I wanted to be sure that nothing would happen this time-- Xander I'm really sorry! I don't know what happened! There's no reason the spell should have seperated you two like it did!"

Xander almost chuckled, but heard the laughter coming and it caught in his throat sounding too odd to be his own. "Wills, don't worry. I know you didn't turn me into the evil dead on purpose. Let's just be all calm-like and figure out how to put me back in my body."

"Well," the witch babbled on, almost as if she hadn't heard Xander, "We need to see if Spike is in your body before I try anything. I mean, since he's not conscience yet we can't know for sure if he's stuck in there or still in incorporeal form. If we try to stick you back in your body with Spike still trapped there--"

"I'm getting the picture, Wills, and not liking that idea very much." Xander tried to focus on speaking not the words themselves. They sounded too bizar, not entierly his own. "So how do we wake 'me' up?"

There was a long silence which Giles finally broke.

"It's likely that the reason that you're awake so quickly is, er, Spikes ability to heal." He took off his glasses, rubbing at an unseen smudge vigorsly, "There's a very good chance that Spike, er, your body is just experiencing something normal, simmilar to blacking out."

"Good to know I've at least got fangless' 'Healing Factor' on my side, G-man! So: how do we wake me up?"

Giles shoved his glasses back on, nearly glaring at Xander as he spoke, "As far as I can tell, there's nothing wrong with your body. We just have to wait for it to wake up."

"You mean for Spike to wake up." Buffy interjected, and all eyes turned to her. "Oh, come on. With all the Wacky that we see on the Hellmouth, you have the be at least the tiniest bit expectant that those two just switched. I mean, it's not like we haven't had something simmilar happen before."

Buffy stepped closer to the steps, as though ready to plop down next to Xander. Something sparked inside of him, a tingle at the base of his neck that was quickly growing to a buzz. By the time Buffy had settled down beside him, Xander could barely think the sensation had become so intense.

"You okay?" she asked, and reached out towards him.

There was a sudden jolt of pain, like he was being electrocuted, and Xander was across the room, as far from Buffy as he could in a few short strides. He looked over at her, eyes wide, the tingle still playing with his mind.

"Xander?" Buffy asked, hand still outstretched as though she were reaching for something. "What gives?" She stood, as though ready to come towards him. That increased the sensation even more, and before he knew it, Xander was pressed up against the far wall, staring back at Buffy through narrowed eyes.

He could feel something else -- a lingering of something strange at the back of his mind, something that wanted to take the forefront like a shield. It was as though something else wanted to take control.

"Um, sorry," he said lamely, still jammed against the shops wall, trying to think of an excuse, "Don't know why I,"

Giles interjected, clearing his throat as he rubbed the lenses of his glasses, not looking anyone in the eye. "Buffy's the Slayer--"

"Yea, we've had that one covered for the last half a decade, G-man! Thanks for the reminder, though, always good to know we're on the same page."

"--and right now, Xander's a vampire. That said, it's very likely just a natural reaction that the demon inside has in avertance to the Slayer."

Xander blinked, "Demon inside? Don't think I have one of those." He looked around, scanning the shop. "Nope, fresh out of Xander-shaped Demons--Unless you count--"

"Xander!" Giles was nearly shouting, glasses perched back on his nose, "It is very likely that when Willow separated both you and Spike, she only separated the more 'human' aspects of the two of you. Argo, it's more than possible the demon that Spike carried still remains in his body. Why exactly did you move away from Buffy?"

"I--" he tried to think, tried to come up with something that sounded more-or-less normal. But this wasn't exactly normal, even by Hellmouth standards, "It was like something in my head started to buzz. And then started to hurt a little." He looked down at his shoes, at Spikes shoes, studying the worn leather, trying not to focus on the obvious. "When she got closer it really hurt, like a migraine but more like something was moving around in my head," trying to get away. He wanted to say, but knew what that would sound like.

Giles nodded, "It seems very likely that is the case then, Xander. I would suggest you do stay a distance from Buffy for the time being."

Xander bit down a retorte, realizing how it would sound and how true the librarian was. He nodded and sat down against the wall where he had retreated. While he wanted to deny what Giles had said about the demon, the sensation that buzzed in the back of his skull made it impossible to deny any further. He sighed deeply, looking straight ahead, watching his body across the room. He could see his own form twitching slightly as if in sleep, boy curled into itself, arms wrapped around chest. It was too strange watching himself from far off, watching himself sleep.

Xander shuttered out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. It was more like a shiver, for the air was cold -- too cold for a human.

"Giles," Willow whispered, "We're going to be able to switch them back, right?"

The ex-watcher stared at her hard, keeping his face set. "We'll figure that out when both of the boys are awake. After that we can begin researching possible solutions to this problem."

The words hit him, and instantly he pushed them back. There was a possability he would stay like this, that he would be trapped like this. The contents of his stomach flipped, and Xander realized that those contents must be what the vampire had eaten last -- a good gallon of cold pigs blood. He wanted to feel revolted, but couldn't make himself. He was hungry. Jolting upright, Xander made a step for the exit before he knew he had moved.

Willow stopped her pacing and stared at him along with Buffy and Giles.

The slayer was the first to speak, eyes narrowed, "And where are you going?" disconcert obvious in her voice.

Xander just stared back at her, mouth open, unsure himself of why he had moved. But when he thought of it, the truth was this body was very uncomfortable both near the slayer and confined in this building. It was as though the night just outside the shop's doors was calling to him, pulling him. And the pang that he felt waiting here with the slayer so near was almost too much to bare. "I--," he stared a moment longer, trying to figure out what the right thing to say would be, "I need some air, that's all."

"Xander," Giles spoke softly as though trying to keep a feral animal calm, "I do not believe it's wise to go wandering around right now." Stepping closer, Giles held out a hand, moving very slowly as though trying to keep the boy from spooking. It almost made Xander laugh. He could hear the librarians heart race, pounding in time with Willows and his unconscience form. Buffy remained strangely calm, her arms folded as if in defiance.

Xander sighed, shaking his head and turning to the group, the jittering and buzz in the back of his mind grew stronger. "I can't stay in here right now." speaking to them as though there was no way they could understand. "I just, can't," he said and, not waiting for a reply, left and closed the door behind him.

-----

The night was alive in a way he could not explain. There were new sounds, new sharp details and -- strangest of all -- scents that hung in the air, reveled for the first time as though he had gained a whole new scenes. It was like seeing colors that had not been there before. A grin spread over his stolen face even though he knew it was so very wrong. But, out in the twilight with the world singing about him, the uncomfortable buzzing finally gone from his mind. He remembered what Jesse had said so long ago: that he had felt connected, part of something bigger. Xander understood completely, but with that thought, his stomach flipped once more. Thinking that he had finally become the monster he had always despite and that he didn't hate it, made him want to cry out and rush back into the Magic Shop.

But, no matter how much he hated the change, Xander couldn't deny that the shop was not a place for him to be right now. His friends in there seemed strange, distant and he hated being so close and feeling so far away.

Walking towards the park, Xander sunk down on one of the benches that had been cemented to the sidewalks for the last half a century. He sat there, staring into the trees and trying not to think. What if he was stuck like this, what if he was stuck as a vampire and what if he didn't end up hating it.

Xander shook the thought away. There was no way he would be content like this! He was only okay right now because he knew there was a way to change back. He was only okay like this with the certainty that this was not permanent. But even for a little bit, he should be upset more upset than he was right now. It was too strange, too cold, too hungry an yet it was as though that had not settled in yet. He felt as though he was dreaming, as though everything was moving around him, through a fog.

Sighing, Xander let his head fall back and stared up at the stars. This was too strange.

There was a noise in the dark, a strange and sharp sound like something mechanical and then a rush. He jolted upright, the beat of a heart heavy in his ears, one more, two, three. The scents were suddenly all around him, and before Xander could even rise, a sharp pain was in the side of his neck. He reached up, confused, and felt something like a dart.

"Be careful," someone spoke, "the blood doesn't flow so you have to use a maximum amount and aim for the neck and cranium."

Starting to rise, Xander felt another sting, this time in his temple. He started to reach up, but felt two more sharp pangs and a daze washed over him like blackness. He slumped over, feeling as though he were slipping completely, as though he was breaking apart and falling completely.

"Commander," he heard in the distance as a fog slipped over him, "We have successfully located and taken down Hostile Seventeen." There was a crackle like static and Xander felt himself fading fast, "Understood, we will be returning the base -- yes, thank you Commander." Xander was sure there was more, that someone said someone spoke and he could feel himself being lifted, but the haze was growing thicker and suddenly there was nothing but black. Xander let himself fall into it.


End file.
